Young mum who just like to chat with others

[Moorish]

My name's Anna and I'm 26 with 2 girls, Chelsea 3 (2/1/02) and Nicola 22 mths (5/8/03). I'm nearly 19 weeks pregnant with baby number 3 and due 28/10/05. I've been married for 5 1/2 years and we've decided that I'll be a stay at home mum until we finish our family (we want 4 kids) and the youngest is at school.

I live in Tas and have some great friends here, but it's great to have a tap on the keys when my kids are having their arvo naps, this is 'my time!' :D

I've just discovered this site & I'd love to hear from anyone about anything. I'm a good listener and I love talking about kids, pregnancies, husbands, recipies and pretty much anything else with anyone. I also love swapping ideas and advice.

I'd love to hear from others.
Cheers,
Anna

[maybe1more]

hi anna, firstly congrats on bubby #3, we share some common interests, i too want to wait untill ive finish my family before i work again, after all we can never take this time back again! Im 26 well almost 27 and i have a son Connor who is 22 months 14/07/03 :p . Ive been trying for about 2 months for baby #2, so hopefully soon i will have a nice suprise. My babe in sleeping now so this is my quiet time. Hope all is well with your family and your pregnancy is going smoothly. Do you have a preferance was you would like? maybe a boy or you dont mine? i would love to have a daughter this time but a dont really mind, i too would love 4 kids, im from a family of 5 kids and my partner is one of 8 kids so Id love to have a big family.hope to hear from u soon and hopefully soon ill have some good news! :)

[Moorish]

Thanks for your message! I can't believe you have a son called Connor! :D
Connor has been our chosen boy's name since we first started our list and although we really don't mind what we have next, a boy would be really nice. In a perfect world we'd have our two girls then two boys really close in age.

I was really upset the other day when my hubby & I were discussing name when he said he wasn't sure if he still liked the name Connor as much anymore, to which I quickly replied that if we had a son, he would be Connor Andrew until there were more suggestions brought to the table! I think deep down he really thinks it suits our family!

Wow you & your partner are from big families! We're not, my hubby has a sister and I have two younger brothers but we share the same desire for a large family (I think anything above 2.3 kids is considered large nowadays!)

I remember when I had Chelsea (3), work generously gave me 12 months leave. I remember telling them now to worry, I'll be back, but secretly I had absolutely no intention of returning - even my hubby didn't know! But I just didn't want to close all doors as I might have been desperate to go back after a few months! I'm happy to say though, despite 2 toddlers, potty training, tanties and cabin fever through winter because it's too cold out, I love being a stay at home mum and can't imagine not being here when the kids come home from school (when they finally GET to school!)

I hope it doesn't take you guys too long to have that much desired 2nd baby, and even though we both said we didn't mind what we had, I was secretly happy to find out our second was a girl as I'd always wanted Chelsea to have a sister close in age (I don't have sisters and have always felt I missed out on something special).

It would be nice to have a boy next, this pregnancy has been quite different so far. We had a scan last week but it was too early to see a lot of things so I have to go back in about a 1 1/2 weeks to check everything out again. I don't know why but I'm really desperate to find out what we're having!

I'm looking forward to hearing how you go, but don't stess if it doesn't happen straight away, half the fun is trying!!

Hear from you soon,
Anna

[WeThree]

hi anna welcome to bubhub. after saying that i would never be a sahm, i can now proudly say that i am one and i love it! i have 3 kids and a stepdaughter and im 27, and im afraid my newest addition is our last (my hubby says im not allowed to have anymore, and i have to agree with him, my hands are pretty full as it is!) i just turned 27 and i love chatting about husbands kids etc and i love swapping recipe and cooking tips and generally just yaking about anything really~! anyway look forward to getting to know you better :)

[Rell]

Hi Anna
i'm 27 and a stay at home mum to Jacinta 3 and Nathan 7mths. I also love cooking and having a chat. Talking of baby names When I was pregnant with Nathan at first I assumed we would be going with Jaydan which has always been our boy name, but then my husband turned arround a decieded he didn't like it anymore. It then took us the whole pregnancy to find another name.
Hope you enjoy this site and meet some great people if you want to chat you can e mail me on rell1974@hotmail.com

[Moorish]

Thanks for your message, I just discovered this site after reading an article about it in the Mother & Baby mag so I'm still doing some exploring. You DO sound like you have your hands full! Especially for 27! I turned 26 in Jan and already feel older than my years because I'm not getting out and doing the stuff that my single 26 year old friends are doing. Having said that, I wouldn't trade my kids for 5 minutes of it! I did the clubbing and drinking at 18 and it was fun for all of about 2 months. My hubby & I have been married 5 1/2 years and I always knew I wanted to be a young mum but it's only just really unfolded that, even though it's a hard job for a few years, we both also want our kids really close in age so they can grow up together (and so we can be free by the time we're 50!!) Having said that, my girls are 19 months apart, the gap between the 2nd & 3rd will be 26 months and then we're planning on a 4th which we'll probably try for a 16-18 month gap again. But check with me again in about 5 months when baby number 3 is born! Hope to talk to you soon! Anna :)

[Moorish]

Good to meet you! BABY NAMES! Help! I always feel so underprepared if the first & middle name of my unborn child isn't chosen by the time of conception!!! I'm a very impatient person if it's something I can control! We have a scan in a bit over a week and we're really hoping to find out the sex. Girls names I'm not too worried about, I have a list a mile long to choose as I have 2 girls already (Chelsea Grace, 3 & Nicola Kate 22mths), but I'm still finding it hard to choose a nice boys name that is going to be suitable from babyhood to adulthood. When I hear the right name I'll just know it, and for the longest time that name has been Connor Andrew (until hubby said he's not too sure about it anymore!). I'd love some suggestions on boys names if you have any - it has to be a name that you don't hear everyday but not too 'out-there' either! For a girl we both like Isobella at the moment with nickname of 'Bella'. Oh if anyone has any suggestions out there send them my way! I think I've ready almost every baby names book around! Hope to hear from you soon Rell! Anna :)

[Mischief]

Hi Anna!

My name is Kathleen (Kat)....I'm 22yo, live in Tas, married 4 years, trying for our first baby......family close by, work full time as a HR support officer (Normally a PA/receptionist but am on secondment at the moment)
, love riding motorbikes and trailbikes (but am preparing to sell it when we have a baby due to the high risk factor of it all), have 2 dogs (Husky x), buying our own home.....

Welcome along! Its great to have this support network! Everyone is so amazing here, and there is so much help available and knowledge! :)

Hope to catch up with you more!

Where abouts in Tas do you live? We are in the south of the state.....near hobart.

[Rell]

Hi Anna
we liked the name Marcus but hubby told his parents who then convinced him it didn't sound good with our last name. :mad: After that he was banned from telling them any names. You could check out babynames.com.au it has a heap of names. Good luck I found finding the name wasn't had it was convincing hubby who always seamed to know someone he didn't like by the same name.

[BlueGin]

Hi Anna,
I am Gin, and I am 24 (soon to be 25) and my husband is 28 next week. We have been married for 6 weeks, together for about 4 years. We are in Melbourne and trying for our first baby. We want 4 altogether and am starting while I am still at uni and will have some extra days off and long holidays to enjoy the littlies. We are also trying young because I have a little trouble concieving and it will get harder as I age, so to fit 4 in we have to be well prepared! :D
I love swapping recipes and chatting about lots of stuff, so feel free to look me up any time, and that goes for all you other friendly people too!

Gin

[Moorish]

Hi Rell,

I totally understand what you mean about the parents & names etc. Thankfully we didn't tell our parents the names we'd decided on until the baby was born and named and then they had to like it! Also, I find it hard to choose names because of some associations (you know, that really nasty boy in primary school who always called you names or that really b**chy girl in high school etc) So there are a couple of names that are taboo for us. I'm still sure we'll stick with Connor Andrew (Moore) if it's a boy, I just know that's the one for us, I haven't come across anything else I like in nearly 4 years! I'll try the web site you mentioned tho. Hope things are quiet in your household!
Anna :)

[Moorish]

Hi Kathleen,

I'm down Lauderdale way, buying our own home too, it's a great suburb to live in, I've always lived in Collinsvale until I did a couple of years of uni (Ltn) and lived with mum (western shore) til I got married. My family is mostly in Hobart too so it's great having support around. My grandmother (74) usually takes Chelsea (3) every few weeks for a couple of nights and they both love it. A couple of weeks ago my husband and I took a well earned holiday to QLD sunshine coast and my grandmother took Nicola (22 mths) for 6 nights and my dad took Chelsea for 4 nights & my mum & step-father took her for 2 nights. So I'm very lucky! You got married fairly young too, I'd only just turned 21 when my hubby & I married, we'd dated for a year and engaged for a year but knew each other few a few years before that. Then we had our first just before I turned 23. We'd love to get a family dog for the kids but it's just another mouth to feed and more mess to clean up at the moment so we'll get one when we've finished having kids (we'd love either a Lab or a Marrima (if that's how you spell it?) Couple of years maybe. Hope to hear some good news from you soon, in the meantime have fun trying! Anna

[Rell]

Hi Anna do you have msn

[Moorish]

Hi Rell,
Yep I do, what do I do?
My email is samoore@iprimus.com.au

[Moorish]

Hi Gin,

Thanks for writing! I'm 26 & my hubby just turned 31 the other day so we have about the same age gap! Congratulations on getting married! What a great time to be starting a family! You've had some time together before and by the sounds of it, you're going to be busy, busy, busy for the next few years (like me!!) We'd like 4 kids as well, (19 weeks with #3 right now so we're over half way!) I'm sorry to hear you have trouble with conceiving, you're quite young, can I ask how you found this out? At least you're not letting that stop you or limit your vision for a large family! I'd love to chat with you some more and look forward to hearing how you go with conceiving bubby #1. I also LOVE cooking so feel free so suggest some yummy recipies etc!
Talk soon,
Anna

[OopsieDaisy]

Hi Anna
I moved from Tas just over 2 years ago :p
I am 22 and have two girls aged 6 and 2.
Feel free to add me to your msn for a chat some time: chocoluva_83@hotmail.com

[BlueGin]

Busy busy busy! Yup that will be us! I think it will work well for me because when I am busy I am pretty productive, but the minute I have nothing to do I just laze around being useless! I like the age gap we have, it works well with the whole "women mature faster" thingy, as I think some guys like to get a party/single life going before they realise the wonders of 1 good woman :D
I don't mind you asking at all about the conception issues, I found out because of my freaky periods that I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). My 1st period when I was 12 went for a whole month and then I would have long gaps, then another very painful and long period
*** anyone who gets grossed out look away now***
I used to have to wear 3 maxi night time pads and a tampon during the day to avoid embarassing leaks, which didn't always work, so I always carried a jumper, even in summer, to tie around my waist :o
Anyhoo, the specialist said it was a pretty nasty case so my best chances of concieving were before 30, as the popping of the cysts can cause inflamation, and apparently a lot of my eggies will not come out viable.
BUT! In saying that, with a great specialist and a supportive husband, we should be fine to have our little bubs with maybe some help.

What a long post!!! Anyone who spent the time reading this, my humble apologies ;)

[Mischief]

Hey Blue Gin, I can relate to what you are saying...Ive had pretty similar all my life, but got my periods at 11. And never had long gaps between them, by 13 I was so badly anemic the Dr said I was to have iron injections....(even though i was a big red meat eater)....but lucky for me, I made such a fuss she let me just try tablets for a while and that helped!

Anna, my hubby and I are 5 years appart too! We have been married 4 years now, so its a good time to start looking at starting our family. He is 27 and would like to have our *2* kids by or at 30.

Work is a hard thing though....for a woman you have to give up your career really. The place I work is wonderful with family balance, but I know that if I get pregnant alot of doors will still close to me, and also that my wish to work part time will stop me being appointed to another position as well! I'm currently on secondment to a HR support role and I LOVE it, but unfortunately it wont be perm....Usually I work as a receptionist/PA, and I hate that position, Ive been trying to get out for months now! I so badly want a baby, but i dont want to have to stay in a job that I hate and makes me sick either....it wont be good for *peanut* to grou under those curcumstances.

Maybe I'll just become a stay at home mum? Everyone says what a rewarding role that is! If we manage our finances right it should be something we can handle!

Kat

[cath]

Hi Anna,
congratulations on your pregnancy -I am due with our first baby in October too (due the 20th) and am very excited. How are you coping with being pregnant and having 2 little ones running around?

My husband and I have been married 2.5 years and are 5 years apart too. I would love to have 4 children but realistically it might have to be 3 (am getting a bit old - I'm 32). In some ways I wish we had started trying earlier but in other ways I'm glad I've had the time I've had to have all sorts of fun -we've had fantastic O/S holidays, drunk lots of beer, bought a great house that we are renovating and just had an absolute ball in the 6 years we have been together. It took us a year to get pregnant which sort of stuffed up my plans but that's life I guess (actually took us 5 months, then miscarried at 8 weeks, then took another 5 months so there goes a year).

I am planning to be a SAHM until our youngest is at school so we were laughing last night that I might not go back to work for another 10 years which seems really strange to me - quite happy about it though. I love the boys name you have chosen -Connor -it is a great name. I've mentioned it to my husband as one I like but he thinks it will get shortened to Con which he's not happy about. I think if you always call him Connor it won't be shortened to Con and it is a really nice strong name. Are you finding out the sex of this baby? We have found out what we are having and are so excited but are trying to keep it a secret from everyone but our families (already proving difficult - let slip with he/she the other day to a friend).

Anyway welcome to bubhub and look forward to chatting to you.

Cath

[BlueGin]

Kathleen, it was interesting to read your post. I had never thought before why I had low iron levels when I was younger! At the time the family doctor used to think I was a hyperchondriac so he never really listened much! It is good now though, as I have been regulating my periods with the pill, so much more "normal" periods.
Good on all you wonderful people thinking about becoming SAHMs, I really wish I could do that, but after uni I will really have to work as we couldn't survive financially otherwise (hubby has a great and rewarding job but not a huge salary :( ). We have thought though that he might be able to SAH for a future child, as my salary will be a little more doable, and by that time we should be a bit more settled.
Lucky guy!
Anyway, great to hear you all doing well,

Gin

[Mischief]

Hey Gin,

The doctor only discoved that I was anemic because I got such a bad period I kept passing out from the pain....my blood iron levels were so low i had been bleeding for over a month (but didnt tell anyone because I thought I was dying and didnt want to scare them...lol :o )....mum took me to the dr and she had a fit! :(

As for being a stay at home mum, I understand totally! I want to stay at home, but truth of the matter is I earn alot more than my hubby, and its just not possible for me to quit my job straight out! Steven has a great job abd he loves it, but it will only just pay the bills....no money to live!

I dont have a choise but to work part time at least....when baby is made and the born I guess we might even consider Steven becoming a Stay at Home DAD! (He is keen to do it, and is great with kids) Or both working part time.....me 3 days a week, Steven 3 days a week..... and the crossover day in the middle one of our mums babysitting. :)

[BlueGin]

Hey Kathleen,
doesn't it just suck when money comes into such an important thing? Oh well, such is life :rolleyes: maybe we will win the lottery they hey? (shame I don't buy tickets!) Sounds like your husband would make a great stay at home, and what an experience for him!
Guess we will have to hope for some mysterious intervention if WE want to be SAHMs!

[Moorish]

Hi Olivia&BellasMummy!

Great to meet you, how are you liking Tas? Cold hey? My husband and I have just come back from 5 glorious days on the sunshine coast in QLD. We were walking along the beach in Noosa, hand in hand, so romantic (we haven't held hands since the eldest started walking!) and we just suddenly looked at each other and said how easy it would be to sell our houses, pack up and move here! Having said that, the work promotion would still have to be damn good! We really love Tas and can't imagine raising the kids anywhere else right now. I've added your name in my msn so if you're ever on line when I am pop me a message, I just love chatting too! Just so you know, sometimes my 3yo logs on to play a game and msn automatically logs me on, so if I"m there but don't reply it's probably because Chelsea is too busy playing buzz lightyear or something of the sort!
Chat soon!
Anna

[Moorish]

Hi Gin

You sound so much like me! I'm always on the go around the house (not that it's ever anywhere near tidy with 2 kids and a hubby), but as soon as the kids are napping my list that's a mile long goes out the window and I find myself watching Oprah on the couch or just quickly 'checking my email' and before you know it, the girls are up, the hubby is home and it's time to organise dinner! Having said that, it's so much harder when hubby is away (interstate for work) like he is this week. 4 days without an extra pair of hands around the place is just a nightmare.

I hope things work out for you with the conception. I was reading you last post and you must have gone through hell. I was pretty bad when I was young too, got my P at 13 and they were pretty irregular but really heavy and painful (crampy). I'd have 1 -2 days off a month from school because I just couldn't get out of bed and my P went for about 7 days on average. When I had my first baby at 22 my first P after that was a lot better and ever since I have been every 28 days, for 4-5 days - you could time it on a watch. So what will you do once you finish having all the kids you want to have? Will you have the cysts removed or will they disappear? Can you have an operation after? It's not a nice thing to have to think about when you're wanting babies! But at least you've got some great support so I hope it goes well!
Talk again soon,
Anna

[Moorish]

Hi Kat,

I really love the age difference between my hubby & I. Besides our jobs before kids we were also both Youth Pastors of a high school age youth group at our church so it was always Shane's excuse to never grow up! He's just turned 31 but could still pass for 26 (in looks and attitude). He's not immature, he's a manager at the Tax office but still loves to rumble with the kids on the weekend or go racing on a go-cart track with his mates so I really have the best of both!

I was very lucky with my work that even though I was technically a casual (worked full time though) they gave me 12 months leave with my first with the security that my job would be there when I came back. However, I said I'd be back but secretly had no intention but didn't want to close the door just then. When I told them that I was pregnant with #2 just 1.5 months before I was meant to come back they didn't seem in the least bit surprised and gave me a lovely fairwell, making sure I knew that if I ever wanted to come back to work there'd be no problems! I still run into my team leader occassionally who subtly questions if I'd like to come back, even on a part time basis. It's so nice to know that not all work places discriminate again women leaving the workforce to become mums - I had such a great relationship with them.

As for becoming a stay at home mum, it is extremely rewarding, I often find myself feeling a little guilty because hubby works all day and misses out on so many of the little things, but other times (especially like today where my kids have become hosts to alien monsters) I find myself thinking that full time work holds nowhere near the stress and hassles that full time mums have to go through on a daily basis. Still, I wouldn't trade even a minute of it all.

Good luck with your decision!
Anna

[Moorish]

Hi Cath

And congrats to you too! I wonder if we'll have ours on the same day? You might go a little over being your first and I'll probably go early being the 3rd and the poor little thing will just be screaming to get out! I'll tell you now, there must have been somthing in the water late Jan/early Feb! Have you noticed how many people (especially celebrities) are due in Oct? I mean there's Britney Spears, Jennifer Garner, possible Demi Moore and our very own Princess Mary, to name a few! I can't even think what I was doing then! (Besides the obvious!)
So far this pregnancy has been a little different, 1 week of pure hellish morning sickness (I know I know, not much but I had 2 pregnancies without it so it's like the end of the world for me!) And as for running around after 2 VERY active, VERY energetic little girls, oh my word, I'm really starting to feel it as the weight increased in my tummy! Oh by the way, when I was reading your post I had to laugh when you said you thought you were getting old! In my mothers group there is such a big mix of ages for our first babies, ranging from 22 - 37 being the oldest first time mum and now she's having her second at 40, so trust me, you've got heaps of time! I've always been a "mothering" sort, I started babysitting when I was 12 and I have a "baby" brother who is 8 years younger than me so I mothered him a lot! I'm sorry to hear that you miscarried. I haven't had to go through that but the fear is always there with each pregnancy, especially with this one as I had a heck of a lot more stress in my life when I fell pregnant and I know that's always a big risk.

We're definately going to find out (next week hopefully) the sex of the baby, just because I'm one who needs to be prepared (and plus, if it's a boy I have absolutely NOTHING to pack for hospital as it's all pink, purple and white with flowers!) I do really love the name Connor and I have thought about people shortening it to Con, but our 2nd is called Nicola and I've been firm so far and no-one has shortened it to Nicky yet (absolutely HATE that name). She sometimes gets Nicoletta from my (Greek) grandmother as a sign of affection but I don't mind that at all, just not Nicky. So if we choose Connor, we'll be just as firm and it shouldn't be a problem. When the kids are old enough, we'll make sure they know that there's no shortening of their name unless they absolutely want to (and I'm sure their friends will nick-name them anyway) but just not at home.

Oh wow, I'm so sorry for such a long post! Sorry everyone! I wish this forum was more of a chat site instead so messages don't get out of control!
Talk soon! Anna

[BlueGin]

Hey Anna,I love a good post with a bit of "meat" on it, gives me time to get absorbed in what you are saying! :D
Although those first few years sucked, the good thing at that age is that you don't know any different! After kids, there is apparently a chance that I will become more regular, if not, then I just stay on the pill, and give myself a period every so often to keep healthy. (I only need to miss one pill and it comes!)
It is interesting to hear you talk about the good and the not so good days of being a SAHM, it is easy for someone who hasn't been there to just picture the good times!!! Though obviously you wouldn't miss a minute :D
I am pretty jealous of you Tassy girls, I have always wanted to live there, but hubby's work is here in Melbourne (he did get transferred to Sydney for 2 years, and that was fun!) and also my family is here (his is in Sydney) and I missed them so much when we were away, I used to chat with mum and dad every day on the phone.
Off to bed now, exam to study for tomorrow :(
I hope the next 4 days pass as quickly as possible, it will be good to be able to check out the forum every now and again to take your mind off it :)
Chat soon,

Gin

[Moorish]

Hi Gin

HAH! HOW IRONIC! Had to laugh or I'd cry! You'd like to live in Tas but your hubby's work keeps you in Melb, and I live in Tas and my hubby is in Melb for work and I don't want him to be! His work sent him to Melb for 5 weeks last Nov so we decided that was too long to be apart, packed up and all took off to live in a small, inner city apartment with two young kids. Oh boy was that an experience! The hotel was right near Telstra dome so it was so close to everything and we got to take the girls to the aquariam, the zoo and other places on the weekends, so that was alright! Where does your hubby work? Mine works at the tax office.

In relation to the P's, I did become completely regular after the birth of #1, however after #2 they came back on about a 30-31 day cycle but they were soo heavy (around 6 days) and really painful (crampy) again, like they were in high school. So it was a blessing when we fell pregnant again and now I don't have to worry about them for another 1.5 years or so. So I guess there is no guarantee that things remain better after kids but I"ll let you know what happens after #3! Maybe it will be different again? But if things don't get better after we finish having our kids I might have to look at some options (implanon implant thingy, or something more permanent) as I just can't hang out for menopause to make it all go away! Oh goodness, I can't believe I'm talking about menopause at 26! That's like my lifetime away! It must be time for my breakfast!
Again, I must apologise for my lenthy posts, I get so carried away!
Good luck with your exam! (I remember those days and don't envy you at all!)
Anna

[BlueGin]

So the grass IS always greener in another state! :D
My hubby is retail manager, they have stores all over Australia, New Zealand, Asia, etc, everywhere except TAS!!! We are by the beach here (you may have heard of Brighton? Near StKilda where the "my restaurant rules" place is) so it is a great place to be for kids, with parks and beaches.
I laughed when you mentioned menopause, I used to pray for it when I was 15! I'd say, "I can always adopt" I just wanted P gone!
Pretty glad now though :)
My Gyn did say to me that once I get pregnant I will ALWAYS want to be pregnant, he said that it will make a great difference in regulating some hormones, and that my body will seem much more friendly to me.
It suddenly made sense about your husband being over here, it must be his busiest time of year coming up!

[Moorish]

I guess the grass IS always greener!
Everyone tends to think that my hubby is busy this time of year, but not the case. He works in superannuation in tax so he works on behalf of all those employees getting ripped off by their employers who don't pay super to their workers. I don't think the work increases this time of year, it's busy all the time! He's a manager in his office and as part of his job he's required to travel sometimes. But he's also a great trainer so he's always the one designated for extra jobs, special projects along side work and stuff. He's been offered jobs in QLD too but the pay has never been enough to uproot our family! (We always joke that it would have to increase our income by 1/2 again, but we're not laughing anymore because he's gotten some serious offers! We just don't want to move!)
I've heard of Brighton but never been there. Is it kind of like - how do I say it without being rude...there's no way really, but is it like a richer neighbourhood? Nice houses, fancy cars, "Whisteria Lanes" on every corner etc? I might be getting confused, I just don't know Melb that well! Sorry if that sounded aweful.
How'd you exam go? I can't believe you were up so late posting messages here, I was in bed watching Rob & Amber get married (yay) wishing I could have fallen asleep! I find it so hard to sleep without hubby in the bed, it's terrible. Then you start hearing all sorts of noises in the house. I sleep with my mobile phone & car keys next to me when he's away, I've become so paranoid!
Well, my girls are drinking their bottles and are ready for naps so I'd better go before they get to worked up to sleep. I've got washing to hang, a letterbox to put up and bulbs to plant. God give me 2 hours of peace and it should be done!
Anna

[BlueGin]

Hey Anna,
don't worry, that is a very "tame" description of Brighton from what I am used to !
It does have some pretty rich people, though a lot of the lovely old houses have been demolished in the recent years to make way for gross new developments. Our family moved up from the coast when I was 6 and have always just rented here, but a lot of the girls I went to school with were always on holidays in Bali and going skiing in winter, not us though! :p
It is one of those suburbs with a pretty bad reputation for snobiness, but as someone who has lived here I think a lot of that is just rumour, most of the people are lovely... and the only real snobs are the new arrivals (people who made it rich quick with the internet and stuff always seem to have bigger houses and flashier cars than the people who grew up here, and attitudes to match!)
I L-plated in a rusty yellow van, a beat up volvo, my brother's Kingswood, pretty much anything we could get our hands on! I once had a boyfriend (at 14) who dumped me because he lived 2 suburbs away and thought that when he met my friends that would look down on him! :eek: So to answer your question in less than 1000 words... it is a nice place if you live here, but when you want to move out of mum and dad's... prepare to either rent or start a big internet business! ;)
I am with you on the scariness of hubby being away, I slept with the mobile, the house phone (in case no reception), and a baseball bat beside the bed. I also stayed up as long as it took to need to go to the bathroom, as once the lights were out, there was NO way I was getting out of bed to go to the toilet! WHen we first moved out together in 2002 it was my first time out of home, and we went interstate so none of my family there, and he got posted to England for a month a week later! I can tell you, I was home before dusk every day and doors locked the second I was inside. I also used to check every room with my trusty cricket bat before I could sit down. They love us, but boy do we go through a lot of scary **** for them!

[BlueGin]

Just kidding, I am getting good at rambling eh?

[BlueGin]

I forgot in that milelong post to mention the exam. I worded the initial post badly, I meant that today I would be studying, the exam is tomorrow. It was going to be monday but I have hd a shocking cold and cough, so the charming lecturer thought I would not be at my best (and my cough may distact others) so I am doint the test at his office tomorrow :)

[Moorish]

Don't worry, I understood every bit of what you said!
You must have a nice lecturer to let you do the exam EARLY and trust that you're not going to give everyone else the answers! (Not that it would be to your benefit anyway!)
I'm half way through my chores at the moment but have popped back inside to look on the the better homes and gardens site to find out how to grow garlic. I know I know, makes a lot of sense, not. I have 5 BH&G mag's in front of me and I saw an article in one of them but can't be bothered reading them to find it! I've just planted my freesia bulbs in between the camilias and I though it'd be cool to try and grow garlic. (NOT inbetween the camilias!) Don't get me wrong, I'm no gardener. I've got about 3 pots with dead plants in them and my daphne is on the way out too. I'm just trying really hard because I really like gardens with some colour and mine at the moment is not that!
P.S. I don't have a baseball bat....hmm..must buy one. :D

[BlueGin]

You can walk around tapping them in your hand while you do room checks, the metal ones make a nice reassuring "thunk" to scare away the 50 robbers hiding under your bed! :D
He is a nice lecturer, he is a psychologist so I guess he understands these things.
If you do figure out how to grow garlic LET ME KNOW! I have only ever had success with the leaves, never and bulbs underneath. Last week my Aunty decided to redo her garden and dug up over 300 bulbs! :eek: She was throwing them all away (some people are nutters) but I caught her when she still had over 100 left, so this spring I might actually get some flowers! They are mostly daffodils which I love, but also fresias, grape hyacinths, and bluebells. I can't wait for them to flower.
Good on you for getting on with the chores, it is a big washing day for me, but I found that my little kitty had weed in the dirty laundry basket :mad: That meant 2 intensive cycles with vinegar added for each of 2 loads, so there is 6 hours of machine usage gone already. I wouldn't mind except that I have to get all the socks and undies through and dry for tomorrow (I left the washing WAY too late).
Can't you just imagine me with piles and piles of nappies going through?
Your bulbs should do well in the tassie climate, my grandma there has the most awesome garden, with everything from raspberries and rhubarb to all the vegies any1 could need :)

[Moorish]

Metal hey? I'll keep that in mind! I'd HATE to be a burgular caught at your house!! :D
I finally found the article on how to grow garlic! Very easy. Do you have an email and I can email it to you? Also do you have msn? If so, my email is samoore@iprimus.com.au so feel free to add me if you'd like to chat - we seem to just miss each other with the posts!
You poor thing with your washing! I don't mind doing the washing, hanging it up but I can't stand ironing because I'm just too much of a perfectionist and I iron everything (even towels), so hubby ends up doing most of it!
Oh, as for the nappies - one word - disposables!
Wow, my shortest post ever.
Must go make the kids some tea.
Anna

[BlueGin]

I have added you to my msn, things might be easier that way :D
I would love that article too, as we eat garlic with everything, so any way to save money is welcomed! I don't mind the washing so much, it is geting it off the line and to the proper drawers, but one question, what's an iron??? ;) If hubby wants a non-creased shirt, he can figure it out himself...
that said, I had better go get dinner on too!

[2xmummy]

Hi Anna, my name is Melissa i am 23 and i have 2 little girls Meghan 23months and Ella 4months i would love to chat with you. im a stay at home mum and i have no licence so i feel very stranded especially now with two kids. It would be great just to talk to other mothers. Hope you would like to chat :)

[Moorish]

Hi Melissa, my little girls, Chelsea (3) & Nicola (22mths) are the same age apart as your girls so you must be a busy mummy!
Also it must be quite hard without a licence. I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't able to drive the kids to story time at the library or to kindergym or just to Maccas when I couldn't be bothered with lunch!
Are you close to any facilities like a beach or a park or a playgroup that you could escape to once in a while? Maybe even start up a walking group in your area for other mums. Make up a flyer with your name and number on it and see if the local shop will let you put it in their window.
I'd love to chat more too. Thanks for leaving a post and explore this site, I've only just joined but it's BRILLIANT!
Talk soon, Anna

[2xmummy]

Hi Anna, thanks for replying. Im in a bit of a hurry so i cant say much i will try & find more time later to have a chat once agin thanks its great to have somone reply.